Career Summary

Biography

Research ExpertiseDr Bolton has research interests in both the basic and clinical sciences. His laboratory based research focuses on studies concerning how the nervous system processes and integrates sensory information including signals resulting in the perception of pain. His clinical interests and applied research concerns pain, spinal manipulative therapy and the practice of chiropractic.

Qualifications

PhD, University of New South Wales

Bachelor of Science (Physiology), University of New England

Doctor of Chiropractic, Palmer College of Chiropractic

Keywords

Neuroscience

Pain

Physiology

Somatoautonomic

Somatosensory

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

110399

Clinical Sciences not elsewhere classified

30

110999

Neurosciences not elsewhere classified

35

111699

Medical Physiology not elsewhere classified

35

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title

Organisation / Department

Associate Professor

University of NewcastleSchool of Biomedical Sciences and PharmacyAustralia

The aim of this study was to define the temporal and spatial (postural) characteristics of the head and cervical vertebral column (spine) of behaving rats in order to better under... [more]

The aim of this study was to define the temporal and spatial (postural) characteristics of the head and cervical vertebral column (spine) of behaving rats in order to better understand their suitability as a model to study human conditions involving the head and neck. Time spent in each of four behavioral postures was determined from video tape recordings of rats (n=10) in the absence and presence of an intruder rat. Plain film radiographic examination of a subset of these rats (n=5) in each of these postures allowed measurement of head and cervical vertebral column positions adopted by the rats. When single they were quadruped or crouched most (~80%) of the time and bipedal either supported or free standing for only ~10% of the time. The introduction of an intruder significantly (P<0.0001) reduced the proportion of time rats spent quadruped (median, from 71% to 47%) and bipedal free standing (median, from 2.9% to 0.4%). The cervical spine was orientated (median, 25-75 percentile) near vertical (18.8Â°, 4.2Â°-30.9Â°) when quadruped, crouched (15.4Â°, 7.6Â°-69.3Â°) and bipedal supported (10.5Â°, 4.8Â°-22.6Â°) but tended to be less vertical oriented when bipedal free standing (25.9Â°, 7.7Â°-39.3Â°). The range of head positions relative to the cervical spine was largest when crouched (73.4Â°) and smallest when erect free standing (17.7Â°). This study indicates that, like humans, rats have near vertical orientated cervical vertebral columns but, in contrast to humans, they displace their head in space by movements at both the cervico-thoracic junction and the cranio-cervical regions. Anat Rec, 298:455-462, 2015.

Flynn JR, Bolton PS, 'Measurement of the vertebral canal dimensions of the neck of the rat with a comparison to the human', Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 290 893-899 (2007) [C1]

Bolton PS, Budgell B, Kimpton A-J, 'Influence of Innocuous Neck Movements on the Sympathetic Outflow to the Adrenal Gland in the Rat', Proceeding of the Australian Neuroscience Society, Melbourne (2004) [E3]

Bolton PS, Tracey DJ, 'The medullary relay for the projections from the neck afferents to somatosensory thalamus in the rat. The head-neck sensory-motor system', International Brain Research Organisation (1989)